Here's why leadership is so tough. What makes this mentality so difficult is that, in every capacity, it asks that you, as a leader, put yourself last.

It's a removal of the ego. You can't just rage out of impatience, or get upset because other people aren't working the way you want them to work. You can't show your frustration--even if everyone else is. You can't sit back and complain when times get tough, you have to be the positive force that changes the tide.

You, as a leader, have to take a step back from your impulsive, emotional reactions, and instead operate from a place of calm understanding. And that's a skill that isn't taught in school, it's not taught in after-school clubs, or even on sports teams.

It's learned through watching closely others who embody that trait.

And it's learned through diligent self-inquiry, and constantly practicing the art of being flexible in the way you communicate and lead others.

What we have and who we are is sometimes undervalued. Being mindful of what we have done and who we focuses on being authentic in the following ways: being trustworthy, grateful, humble, authentic, and forgiving; being good problem solvers with high standards. It sounds like good teaching and teachers.

Doing good is good business. In this world where the bottom line matters, hitting KPIs and meeting shareholders’ expectations trumps goodness, we’re always quick to dismiss this over-idealistic thought.

But this idealism when backed by strategy, culture building, passion and talent development can, in fact, benefit the corporate individual, the business and community. It can be the paradigm shift in what leads a business to flourish – transforming ordinary employees to committed outstanding leaders.

This article looks at employees increasing desire for meaningful work with companies that act ethically and how CSR programmes can provide that while equipping employees with skills and experience mindset shifts to help navigate the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world of today.

The article is interesting as it discusses how CSR programmes can educate future corporate leaders while addressing needs and challenges of the community and society that they serve or sit within, which aligns with elements of Corporate International Service Learning (CISL) programmes.

As is almost always the case when humans are involved, the truth varies. Assuming there are no particularly irksome or troublemaking individuals upsetting the group harmony, there are some ways working in groups can be helpful when it comes to learning, and other ways in which it may be more of an obstacle. So, here are the pros and cons of teamwork.

Therapeutic interventions that incorporate training in mindfulness meditation have become increasingly popular, but to date little is known about neural mechanisms associated with these interventions. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), one of the most widely used mindfulness training programs, has been reported to produce positive effects on psychological well-being and to ameliorate symptoms of a number of disorders. Here, we report a controlled longitudinal study to investigate pre–post changes in brain gray matter concentration attributable to participation in an MBSR program.

The more research we have into the impacts of mindfulness and meditative practices the more they may become part of our daily living. Hopefully, this does not mean a formulaic way of meditating and being mindful

It’s probably happened more than once: You spend a lot of time trying to convince someone that their opinion on a particular issue is wrong. You take pains to make sure your argument is air-tight. But instead of coming around to your point of view, your conversation partner pushes back, still convinced of her ultimate rightness. “What do you mean poor people need social programs? They have the same opportunities as everyone else!” By the end of your debate, you’re faced with the same stalemate you had at the beginning—and your relationship may be feeling the strain.

But author Jeff Davis discusses in his new book, The Power of Authentic Leadership: Activating the 13 Keys to Achieving Prosperity Through Authenticity, that authentic leadership prowess is a cornerstone trait needed for success not just at work, but in life as well. Through conversations with Senators, billionaires, New York Times bestselling authors, and extremely successful business owners, coupled with his own research and application, Davis believes that authentic leadership is the essential ingredient for prosperity.

Hardly theoretical, authentic leadership is something that can be used and applied on a day-to-day basis, and it is needed now more than ever. In a nutshell, it’s more about being true to your word and demonstrating by example than it is about getting people to follow you or telling others what to do.

In 2011, the Finish tourism board decided to run a campaign promoting the “silence” you can get by visiting the beautiful country. Along with photos of awe-inspiring landscapes, they used the slogan “Silence, Please”.

While it’s bad to ignore a crisis, the more serious problems for today’s leaders arise when they try to rouse collective will to address or prevent organisational emergencies. Heads nod around conference tables as well laid out rationales and action plans for strategic change are presented. Months later, however, the promised results fail to arrive. Somewhere, somehow, a silent disconnect has intervened between those who see the big vision and those tasked with executing it, as if both groups hadn’t been on the same page all along, or even on the same team.

Enron, Worldcom, Bernie Madoff — the past decade has brought us a long parade of headlines involving unethical behavior. And that's led researchers to a disturbing conclusion: The vast majority of us are not only capable of behaving in profoundly unethical ways, but without realizing it, we do it all the time.

Our findings focus on the enormous potential to change things by modifying culture, mind-set and behaviour. Behaviour and profound lack of understanding of the changing public mood explain a series of leadership failures in the public and private sectors in recent months.

Running a business is an inherently emotional experience. Even the most stoic leaders are bound to find themselves becoming invested not only in outcomes, but in people and processes as well.

While emotional leadership is often regarded as a liability, lack of personal investment can also bring about negative outcomes.

I’ve learned that the best leaders are those who can recognize emotionally-charged situations, rise above the passions of the movement, and maintain a level head. Good leaders are quick to listen and slow to anger.

Like teaching (educate and pedagogy are etymologically about leading) leading is about listening first. Sometimes asking questions furthers the conversation and understanding of others. They solve their problems.

What does it mean to listen? Listening points to four levels: what we can see and hear, the emotions and thoughts, the sensations and what's wanting to emerge (or not). How much of our listening is directed to each of these four levels? Do we really listen when we speak? Do we listen inwards, outwards, both, or neither? Listening comes from the feminine side of us, specially deep listening. What is needed for a deeper listening? What is all this noise telling us?

The field of positive psychology was born when researchers noticed that psychology was awfully negative—focusing on illness and suffering but mute on the topic of how to thrive and flourish.

Two decades later, you could say that positive psychology is moving past this dichotomy of positive and negative, toward a more nuanced perspective on the good life. At least, that was one of the themes at the International Positive Psychology Association’s 5th World Congress, a four-day conference held earlier this month that brought together more than 1,300 researchers, practitioners, students, and journalists in Montreal, Canada.

Researchers shared the complexities and complications they were uncovering about the elements of well-being, from gratitude and mindfulness to passion and grit. Here are some of their insights.

A fascinating study that shows how beneficial small acts of kindness are beneficial for all. This should be the main focus of employee engagement programs. Encourage a culture of appreciation and empower people to live that value. It is contagious and can ripple through an entire organization leading to enhanced morale, productivity, innovation and customer service. Everyone wins. If you are interested in this check out our white paper > http://kudosnow.com/main/recognition-vs-reward

We call ourselves “human beings,” but I think that title is aspirational: one we are meant to earn. Being human should mean we are capable of higher-level thought and can choose rationally how we respond to external events as well as to internal thoughts and emotions. Now, I don’t know about you, but all I need is to be cut off in traffic or have my husband use the wrong tone of voice to witness my own inability to do this well.

Perhaps the most surprising element in business today is that we often behave in ways that are extremely ineffective and quite beneath us. Even those among us who are highly educated senior-level professionals fall into these traps.

Many times I've had people ask me, "In addition to coaching and training, what else can I do to learn more about how to improve myself? How can I learn to be a great leader that propels myself and others towards greater growth and greater opportunities?"

My answer is simple, read. Read everything you can about successful leaders and the steps that they have taken to achieve peak performance for themselves and their organisations.

The following is a list, and brief overview, of some of the best books that I have read about leadership.

being honest not all these are what I'd call 21st century reads... lesson is simple read something about our craft and make yourself better . Read my book #offthebenchleadership or another ... but read

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